Today I was asked to publish the following:
BBC Three and Renegade Pictures are making a new documentary about motherhood and parenting and we would love to hear from any mums who are happy to share their stories.
The documentary will be presenter lead and will explore what it’s like to raise children today – it will be a thoughtful, insightful film about the decisions women make and different approaches to being a mum today.
Perhaps you believe there is not enough discipline today and have decided to raise your children with a strict framework?
Or do you think children should be treated like adults and allowed to make their own decisions and choices?
Have you given up your career for your children or do you have help from nannies or other childcare so that you can balance the 2?
Do you worry about the dangers out there and try to protect your children from them or do you think children are too wrapped in cotton wool?
Whatever your age and background – whether you’re a mum, step-mum or foster mum, religious or not, strict or liberal - we would love to hear from you.
If you’re interested in finding out more please email: parent@renegadepictures.co.uk. If you do not have access to email you can call: 020 7449 3242. But please note email is preferential at this stage.
Many thanks and looking forward to hearing from you!
Renegade Pictures
Monday, 10 January 2011
Wednesday, 29 December 2010
NORMALITY
Thank goodness - we can now see the lawn again and the snow pig is just six inches high. Father Christmas couldn't even deliver Oscar's new bike because he worked out that giving a two-year-old a present and then telling him he can't go outside with it would not be a recipe for a happy Christmas Day. But he did bring the digger that Oscar had requested for over a month.
On Christmas Eve Oscar kept watch for Santa
And it was well worth it
And doesn't everyone get a new scarf and hat at Christmas?
Over Christmas dinner Oscar's uncle did the moving napkin trick to impress his nephew
On Boxing Day we took the London son to the airport so that he could catch the Easyjet flight to Geneva - because it was over three hours late he missed his transfer at Geneva and ended up sleeping on the airport floor for ten hours. While he was home for Christmas we were able to quiz him about his engagement - not that he ever gives much away.
This picture may suddenly disappear because my son has the copyright and I haven't been given permission to use it!
Sunday, 19 December 2010
NOT NICE
I'm tempted to throw every Christmas card with a snow scene on it in the bin. Snow is not nice and I'm sick to the back teeth of looking out on stranded cars being pushed and birds buried up to their necks in white stuff.
The London son and his fiancee (YES ! they're engaged - hurray) were up for the weekend and in between digging his car out and skidding down the road, he found time to make a snow creature that Oscar thinks is Peppa Pig
We had a lovely party for my birthday at Oscar's mummy and daddy's house and Oscar helped me blow the candles out
There are so many comings and goings planned for this week and next by car and train and plane that I'm dizzy and if they a actually happen then I'm a monkey's uncle.
The London son and his fiancee (YES ! they're engaged - hurray) were up for the weekend and in between digging his car out and skidding down the road, he found time to make a snow creature that Oscar thinks is Peppa Pig
We had a lovely party for my birthday at Oscar's mummy and daddy's house and Oscar helped me blow the candles out
There are so many comings and goings planned for this week and next by car and train and plane that I'm dizzy and if they a actually happen then I'm a monkey's uncle.
Friday, 3 December 2010
QUACKERS
The London son is off to Bruges this weekend - Eurostar permitting. last night he dressed as Count Duckula for a Christmas party.
Our daughter is snowed up in Hull but managed to dig herself out to enjoy a slap-up meal last night. Meanwhile, Oscar has been plodding slowly around the room doubled up like an old man. When we asked him what he was doing he said "Dada" - apparently his dad has had a bad back and without him realising it, Oscar was watching his every painful move. And I now have to be as good as gold and have emptied my coat pockets of all sweets because as Oscar's speech has improved I've found myself in hot water as he reports back to mummy and daddy: "Grandma, Oscar, jelly bean"
Sunday, 14 November 2010
OUT WITH THE OLD
How does one go about choosing a new birthday? My old birthday is a week before Christmas, and although it's very atmospheric having Happy Birthday sung around the Christmas tree, it's a bit of a pain when it comes to booking celebratory meals out - always fighting to get served against rowdy office Christmas party outings and having to pay top-whack for a mediocre slice of luke-warm turkey. Then there's the birthday cards. The house by then is already heaving with Christmas cards so there's no space to show off my lovely cards. And I feel sorry for friends and family having to fork out for birthday presents at a time when their bank balances have already been hit bystocking up for Christmas. So I've decided to change my birthday, and that's a problem. Too much choice already. Do I go for midsummer and swap turkey for burgers on the barbecue, or what about Spring? But then am I celebrating the birthday I've just had or the one that's still to come? And I don't want to steal anyone else's thunder by choosing a date just before their's, so already the choice is dwindling. I think this is going to call for numbers in a hat and then pull one out - unless I decide that it's all too much hassle and just buy an extra turkey - again.
Sunday, 31 October 2010
PIDER
We had a Hallowe'en visitor yesterday in the shape of a multi-coloured "pider"
it reminded us of last Hallowe'en when an orange fluffy pumpkin holding a black balloon on a chopstick knocked on the door.
It was half term last week which gave us the opportunity to get things done in the house. A strip of ceiling paper in my office needed replacing - sounds easy. It took us half a day of neck-breaking contortions, my husband up a ladder and me on a chair, first scraping off all the old paper and then putting up the new. My husband reckoned he'd watched a decorator at work and had seen him paste the paper and then concertina it before putting it up. It was like something off a Laurel and Hardy film - especially when we discovered, after getting all the creases and bubbles out, that the paper was 10 inches short of the wall. That's the very last time we attempt any sort of diy.
The main car has clocked up a very high mileage - and they say the devil finds work for idle hands - so again, while we were free over half term, we searched the internet for a low mileage, one-owner, comfortable car. Found one in Derbyshire, spoke to the salesman by phone - it had had one little elderly owner from new who only took it out of the garage when the sun was shining and in six years he had done just 18,000 miles. Fantastic. We agreed a part-ex price and set off on Friday to claim this fine specimen. We were shown the car documents while the car was being serviced - no service book (funny!) and a load of bills in somebody else's name. Turned out the car had had three owners and the mileage didn't stack up. The interior was more marked and scraped than ours. So no deal. We made the best of the day, stocking up on original Bakewell puddings before we left Derbyshire and as soon as we got home we got to work on Google Street View to look at the little old third owner's address. A very pokey terraced house - WITH NO GARAGE! I'm just glad we weren't born yesterday.
it reminded us of last Hallowe'en when an orange fluffy pumpkin holding a black balloon on a chopstick knocked on the door.
It was half term last week which gave us the opportunity to get things done in the house. A strip of ceiling paper in my office needed replacing - sounds easy. It took us half a day of neck-breaking contortions, my husband up a ladder and me on a chair, first scraping off all the old paper and then putting up the new. My husband reckoned he'd watched a decorator at work and had seen him paste the paper and then concertina it before putting it up. It was like something off a Laurel and Hardy film - especially when we discovered, after getting all the creases and bubbles out, that the paper was 10 inches short of the wall. That's the very last time we attempt any sort of diy.
The main car has clocked up a very high mileage - and they say the devil finds work for idle hands - so again, while we were free over half term, we searched the internet for a low mileage, one-owner, comfortable car. Found one in Derbyshire, spoke to the salesman by phone - it had had one little elderly owner from new who only took it out of the garage when the sun was shining and in six years he had done just 18,000 miles. Fantastic. We agreed a part-ex price and set off on Friday to claim this fine specimen. We were shown the car documents while the car was being serviced - no service book (funny!) and a load of bills in somebody else's name. Turned out the car had had three owners and the mileage didn't stack up. The interior was more marked and scraped than ours. So no deal. We made the best of the day, stocking up on original Bakewell puddings before we left Derbyshire and as soon as we got home we got to work on Google Street View to look at the little old third owner's address. A very pokey terraced house - WITH NO GARAGE! I'm just glad we weren't born yesterday.
Monday, 18 October 2010
ARMSTRONG & MILLER
We went to see the Armstrong & Miller show when it was on in Manchester. We had great seats - centre front row of the circle. Far enough away not to be hauled onto the stage and a very good view. But I was amazed to find that the small theatre was only half full. Those who weren't there missed a wonderfully funny evening. All the sketches from the television shows were included plus more and best of all, there was no support act.
One of the landmark homes in our area has been demolished. It was a beautiful big 1920s' detached place set in acres of woodland, which the elderly owner had left untouched to encourage local wildlife, including red squirrels, natterjack toads and barn owls. When he died a property developer bought the gorgeous pink house for a knock-down price and knocked it down. The trees have been felled, presumably the wildlife slaughtered or at best homeless and the site flattened. On the plus side we have a ready-made afternoon's entertainment for Oscar within walking distance. The diggers, dumper trucks and men in hard hats who wave give him more pleasure than a trip to Disneyland.
Oscar has started a pre-school group where he has to be left for three hours. This he is not overly keen on. In fact as soon as we get into the car on a school morning he instructs me to drive in the opposite direction. But I can remember the tears and tantrums when I left my own three children at their respective playgroups - and that was just me. So I wait in the car park for half an hour and then ring the very nice pre-school ladies to see if the tears have subsided. They always have.
time for school
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